Pilots at Lufthansa said through a union today that they were commencing moves to strike for higher pay at the German airline after negotiations ended in deadlock, dpa reported. Joerg Handwerg, a spokesman for the trade union Cockpit, said a vote would be taken among unionized pilots next week on whether to strike. Cockpit had sought a one-year salary agreement containing a 6.4-per-cent rise in pay for its 4,500 flight deck members. Pay talks have gone on fruitlessly since May. Handwerg said Cockpit had even offered Lufthansa a wage freeze on condition that it promise not to sack any pilots. The vote, which is mandated by German law before strike takes place, would take about four weeks to complete.